A domestic violence lawyer in Arizona defends clients accused of offenses that are designated as acts of domestic violence under Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3601. Oliverson Law DUI & Criminal Defense combines judicial, prosecutorial, and law enforcement experience across Maricopa and Mohave counties. Call (480) 582-3637 for a free case evaluation.
Arizona does not charge “domestic violence” as a standalone offense. Instead, Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3601 is a designation statute that attaches to an underlying criminal offense when the defendant and the alleged victim have one of the statutorily defined relationships — spouse, former spouse, person of the opposite or same sex residing in the same household, parent of a child in common, family members, and other relationships listed in the statute.
Offenses that commonly carry a domestic-violence designation include assault under ARS 13-1203 and 13-1204, threatening or intimidating under ARS 13-1202, criminal damage under ARS 13-1602, disorderly conduct under ARS 13-2904, and others. The underlying offense determines the class and the sentencing range; the DV designation triggers additional consequences, including potential mandatory domestic-violence offender treatment, firearm prohibitions under federal law (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9)), and protective-order conditions that affect housing, custody, and employment.
Because the DV designation is separate from the underlying charge, defense strategy in a DV case operates on two tracks: challenging the underlying criminal allegation and, where appropriate, contesting the DV designation itself.
Arizona’s criminal process moves quickly, and the decisions made in the first 48 to 72 hours after an arrest shape the rest of the case. The exact timeline depends on the charge and the court, but most Arizona cases follow the same four stages.
If you are arrested, Rule 4.1 of the Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure requires that you be brought before a judge for an Initial Appearance within 24 hours. That is when release conditions — bond, own-recognizance release, or pretrial detention — are set. Having counsel in place before the Initial Appearance can directly affect the conditions the court orders.
Felony arraignments in Superior Court and misdemeanor arraignments in city or justice court are where the charges are formally read and a plea is entered. A not-guilty plea at arraignment preserves every defense and triggers the State’s disclosure obligations under Rule 15.
This is the stage where most criminal cases are decided. Motions to suppress evidence, motions challenging the charging instrument, and review of police reports, body camera video, and witness statements all happen here. A successful suppression motion can end a case before trial.
Most Arizona criminal cases resolve through a negotiated plea, a diversion program, or dismissal after a successful defense motion. When trial is the right path, Rule 8 sets time limits the State must meet. Our approach is to prepare every case as if it is going to trial, because that preparation is what produces better plea offers.
An effective Arizona criminal defense is built around four questions: Was the State’s evidence lawfully obtained? Can the State prove every element of the charge beyond a reasonable doubt? Are there affirmative defenses or justifications that apply? And what resolution produces the best long-term outcome for the client? Every case we take is worked through this framework.
Fourth Amendment issues are where many Arizona criminal cases break down. Traffic stops without reasonable suspicion, searches beyond the scope of consent, and warrantless home entries without exigent circumstances all create suppression arguments under ARS 13-3925 and the Fourth Amendment.
Chain of custody, lab testing protocols, officer credibility, body-camera gaps, and witness reliability are all challengeable. The State must prove every element of the charge beyond a reasonable doubt — breaking any single element ends the prosecution.
Arizona recognizes self-defense under ARS 13-404, defense of a third person under ARS 13-406, defense of premises and property, necessity, duress, and mistake of fact. When the facts support it, we raise these defenses early and present them to the jury.
Our preferred resolution is always dismissal or diversion. When a plea is the right outcome, we negotiate from the leverage created by trial preparation. Prosecutors move their offers when they see a defense that is ready to go.
Oliverson Law was founded in 2009 by Derek Oliverson, who brings a career spanning law enforcement, prosecution, and the judiciary. He earned his B.S. in Criminal Justice (magna cum laude) from Southern Utah University and his J.D. with a concentration in litigation from Creighton University School of Law. He was admitted to the Arizona Bar in October 2009.
Before founding the firm, Derek served as a police officer in Henderson, Nevada, worked as a criminal prosecutor in Mohave County, Arizona, and presided as a judge at both Page Magistrate Court (overseeing adjudication of 3,000+ cases annually) and Glendale City Court (starting in 2012, overseeing 40,000+ cases annually). He left the bench in 2014 to focus on criminal defense.
Attorney David Tangren is a graduate of the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law where he served as Note and Comment Editor on the International and Comparative Law Journal. Before joining Oliverson Law, David was a prosecutor at the Pima County Attorney’s Office, handling cases from misdemeanors through the felony trial team in the Property and Narcotics Bureau.
Oliverson Law handles domestic violence cases throughout Arizona from our main office at 60 E Rio Salado Pkwy, Suite 900, Tempe, AZ 85281. We appear regularly in courts across Maricopa County and Mohave County.
Maricopa County Superior Court at 201 W Jefferson St, Phoenix handles all felony cases. Misdemeanor cases are heard in the 26 justice court precincts and municipal courts located throughout the county, including regional facilities in Mesa (222 E Javelina Ave), Surprise (14264 W Tierra Buena Ln), and North Phoenix (18380 N 40th St).
Mohave County Superior Court at 415 E Spring St in Kingman handles felony cases. Our founder Derek Oliverson began his legal career as a prosecutor in Mohave County and maintains direct familiarity with the local courts and procedures.
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No. ARS 13-3601 is a designation statute that attaches to an underlying offense — such as assault (ARS 13-1203/1204), threatening or intimidating (ARS 13-1202), criminal damage (ARS 13-1602), or disorderly conduct (ARS 13-2904) — when the defendant and alleged victim have one of the statutorily defined relationships. The underlying offense determines the class and sentencing range; the DV designation adds consequences.
ARS 13-3601 lists the qualifying relationships, which include spouse or former spouse, persons residing or having resided in the same household, parents of a child in common, blood or legal relatives, certain in-law relationships, and persons in a romantic or sexual relationship. The statute should be consulted for the complete list.
Yes. Federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9) prohibits firearm possession by persons convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence. Federal firearm consequences are separate from Arizona state firearm rights and can apply even where state rights are preserved or restored.
Sometimes, yes. Arizona prosecutors dismiss cases when the defense exposes evidence or charging problems, when the underlying offense cannot be proved, or when the DV designation does not fit the statutory criteria. Diversion and counseling programs may also result in dismissal after successful completion, depending on the case.
At Initial Appearance, the court often imposes a no-contact or release order as a condition of release. A domestic violence lawyer can move to modify those conditions when they interfere with housing, custody, or employment and the underlying facts support modification.
Oliverson Law’s team includes a former judge (Glendale City Court), former prosecutors (Mohave County and Pima County), and a former police officer. That combined experience on the charging, prosecuting, and judicial sides of Arizona criminal cases is what informs our defense strategy. We have been defending Arizona criminal charges since the firm was founded in 2009.
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Derek Oliverson has presided over thousands of cases from the bench, prosecuted criminal cases in Mohave County, and patrolled streets as a police officer. Now he uses that experience to defend you.
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